In 1964 a man by the name of Truett Cathy was busy working in the kitchen of his restaurant, the Dwarf Grill. After hundreds of attempts to create the perfect boneless and breaded chicken sandwich, he finally struck gold. And it's still that way today, a crispy chicken filet between a butter toasted bun with two pickles. And that's where my story comes in. I have only worked for Chick-fil-A for a few months. In that time, however,I have seen how this business is run and have amended a few of my previous views on business ownership.

1. “My pleasure!”

What's the first thing you notice as soon as you step into any Chick-fil-A? The absence of the words “you’re welcome” coming from team members. It is a requirement for all team members to use the phrase “My pleasure!” instead of “You're welcome.” This seems strange to us northerners, however, this phrase is much more commonplace in the South, where Chick-fil-A was founded. That old southern country charm, while sometimes being completely foreign, does make the practice of saying “my pleasure” interesting! What had made the corporate headquarters see this as so important that it is an actual requirement? It is my belief that this practice is one thing that pushes Chick-fil-A far beyond the competition. By requiring the use of this phrase it also begins to change the mindset of your employees. By saying “My pleasure!” it actually becomes your pleasure to serve each and every guest who steps through the doors of your restaurant!

While the use of the exact phrase sounds very weird when removed from the Chick-fil-A vacuum, it has crossed my mind that this same theory can be applied outside of that place. Instead, it may be beneficial to encourage employees to not use nonchalant phrases like “no problem”, “don't mention it”, “sure”, and “it was nothing”; these phrases drive the fast consumer culture where every customer is just another transaction that means nothing more than the amount of their bill. I have learned through observation that by allowing and encouraging employees to make a connection, you drive repeat customers.

2. People. People. People.

Chick-fil-A puts emphasis on three separate and distinct groups. Your guests. Your community. Your employees. Everything that is done inside of a Chick-fil-A is done for the guests, from the kitchen to the front counter. And especially the dining room! Chick-fil-A seems to have serving guests down to a science. To begin with, Chick-fil-A was on the leading edge of iPOS. IPOS is the system that uses team members carrying iPads with the point of sales (POS) system as its main function instead of the set drive through screen. This process not only expedites the customer's time in line, causing a spike in sales, but it also allows guests to move more quickly through the drive thru meaning that they feel more satisfied with the overall speed of service, and that they desire to tell their friends and family what an enjoyable experience they had! Secondly, to combat one of the most congested parts of a fast food restaurant, the food receiving line, Chick-fil-A has enacted a system where guests are given a table marker and asked to set it at the edge of their table, so team members can easily identify which order goes to which guest. This allows for another moment of engagement where team members can continue to make a connection with guests who are enjoying their meal inside of the restaurant. These moments are indispensable for creating those moments that make guests say, “WOW!” and want to come back! One such moment that I personally experienced, was a moment when a couple had ‘snuck away’ from a week of camp to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Of course in one of those table side moments, a team member found out about this, which immediately made her want to do something for them.This resulted in a scurrying of available team members to make a special dessert and carry it out to them to wish them a happy anniversary. Not many fast food places would think to be this generous; however, this is the Chick-fil-A way. Everything Chick-fil-A does is based on the principle of second mile service. This principle is that the first mile is that of hot food served hot and cold food served cold. But the second mile is everything else that puts Chick-fil-A above and beyond every other fast food restaurant. Their commitment to guests, the way that they use names instead of random order numbers, and even how the food is delivered to the customer all falls under second mile service.

It seems as though this should have already been one of my own main tenants as a future business owner, and it was.However, working for Chick-fil-A made me realize that there is a drastic difference between saying that you put the customer first, and truly doing it. Every company in this world would tell you that they put customers first, but every person in this world has had a bad customer service experience with some business. And while Chick-fil-A is not a perfect business and someone will always be dissatisfied, the main purpose to second mile service is that we begin to slowly eliminate those moments of dissatisfaction. One of the things that Chick-fil-A implements is that every so often,a coupon for a free sandwich is printed on a receipt, to be redeemed if you complete a brief survey. This is a practice that I would like to find a way to implement, a system where feedback is given and immediately can be analyzed, but the guest is also receiving something of value in return. Something else that set my view of how to care for your people is that the owners of the Chick-fil-A that I am employed by genuinely care about each and every single one of their employees. That is something that very much interests me as well: the fact that an employer can care so deeply for their employees and genuinely mean it and want to help them, but still get the work done that needs to be done.

3. Quality Control

While Chick-fil-A is the only fast food restaurant I have ever worked at, there are a few things that I have noticed that seem markedly different. First off, Chick-fil-A is so dedicated to having a safe environment for guests and their food that there is a daily checklist of things that need to be checked up on or reviewed on an in store basis. This list ranges from the cleanliness of the nugget boxes, to the exact weight in ounces of a milk shake. And everyday like clockwork a team member must review each and every single thing. This brings me to my next point: Steritech. Steritech is an independent third party company who Chick-fil-A employs in order to check in on individual stores on a more intimate one-on-one basis. Steritechvisits each Chick-fil-A store once a quarter, and it could be any time within that quarter without warning. This is to ensure that every store is acting in such a way that they consistently follow the rules and regulations each and every day. Steritech also monitors the appearance of team members. They ensure that team members are wearing their uniform according to dress code, and that all parts of team members fit within the handbook regulations.

So how does this affect someone looking to own a small business? Well I think it is clearly demonstrated that by the saying: “People. People. People” and “Quality”. You are establishing that right after you serve the customer, your top concern is that they are being served a quality product that is unmatched by your competitors. While some small businesses may turn to cameras instead of hiring an independent third party to monitor employees, I think it’s still important to remember that just as Steritech is not in a Chick-fil-A store everyday, it is not necessary to view your employees on camera everyday either, if you are teaching them to be consistent each and every day.

4. Focus on a Signature Product

When you walk into a Chick-fil-A you know that you aren’t going to be eating burgers, or any kind of beef for that matter, as your meal. You know that you have a limited amount of options that all revolve around their signature product: chicken. Most of these options also revolve around that original recipe for the chicken sandwich. It has, however, become a personal mission of Chick-fil-A’s to provide other healthy options, so they have added grilled chicken to the menu as well. But all the same, you know that when you walk into a Chick-fil-A, you will be getting Grade A chicken product, and also some really delicious milkshakes!

Focusing on their specialty is something many new entrepreneurs lose sight of; the simple principle that nailing a few items and really hitting those hard seems to be something that has been lost on today’s business culture. Specifically for the coffee industry, it seems really easy to go all out right off the bat. Adding everything from lattes to hot coffee and back to frozen drinks seems easy to do. However, by choosing to focus on one or two really great products, you are narrowing a customer pool, which makes it much easier on yourself because you are saying that you only offer a few select items. You may lose some customers, but overall you will be able to nail those products, and create better overall product!

5. Unwavering Beliefs

What other things stand out about Chick-fil-A in this fast paced world of the food industry? The fact that they have held unwaveringly to traditional biblical values. Now whether you agree with them or not, think about what this means. By standing their ground, Chick-fil-A is not only showing our fast paced world that it is possible to stand your ground under pressure and stay strong in what you believe in; but they are also reminding this country and the world of the basic principles that America was founded on. The right to freely express your opinions, and the right to worship, or not worship, in whatever way you choose without fear of persecution.

As a future business owner, I have to acknowledge the audacity of Chick-fil-A and I desire to follow in their footsteps. As a business owner, it is admirable that you can say what you mean and mean what you say. Just because you become a business owner does not mean you suddenly have to keep your mouth shut on important issues. You can still be you. While choosing to fight political battles through your company may not be the best option from a business standpoint, you can still have opinions and stand by them.

Overall, Chick-fil-A has been a great company to work for. They constantly encourage you to pursue your dreams, while still working for them. It has been and continues to be an amazing opportunity to watch how a Chick-fil-A runs. I have decided to model my own future business after the things that I love about how Chick-fil-A operates.